Storybook Squares facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Storybook Squares |
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Title card for the 1976–1977 version.
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| Based on | Hollywood Squares |
| Presented by | Peter Marshall |
| Narrated by | Kenny Williams |
| Country of origin |  United States |
| No. of episodes | 16 (1969 version) 30 (1976–1977 version) |
| Production | |
| Production location(s) | NBC Studios Burbank, California |
| Running time | 30 minutes |
| Production company(s) | Heatter-Quigley Productions |
| Distributor | MGM Television Fremantle |
| Release | |
| Original network | NBC |
| Original release | January 4, 1969 – December 30, 1977 |
Storybook Squares was a special version of the popular TV game show Hollywood Squares. In this fun show, celebrities dressed up as famous people and characters. They could be from history, fairy tales, or even other TV shows!
Peter Marshall was the host of these special episodes. The celebrities were introduced by "The Guardian of the Gate." He would read their character names from a scroll. Kenny Williams, the regular announcer for Hollywood Squares, played this role.
The first Storybook Squares aired on NBC on Saturday mornings. It ran from January 4 to April 19, 1969. Repeats were shown until August 30, 1969. The idea came back later in 1976 and 1977. It was featured as special themed weeks on the daytime Hollywood Squares show.
Contents
How the Game Worked
The original Storybook Squares game was played just like the regular Hollywood Squares. Celebrities sat in a giant tic-tac-toe board, dressed as storybook or nursery rhyme characters.
Two children competed in each game, always a boy against a girl. The boy was "X" and the girl was "Circle." They played as many games as they could before time ran out. The winner of each game received a prize. No money was given out in this version.
There was also a "Secret Square" game. If a child picked the Secret Square, they could win an extra prize!
Famous Faces in 1969
Most celebrities dressed up as characters. However, Cliff Arquette played his usual character, "Charley Weaver." Other stars played characters from fairy tales, books, or history. Some even played characters they were famous for on TV!
When each celebrity entered the set, they got a special introduction. This often led to a funny chat with host Peter Marshall. Here are some of the stars who appeared:
- Marty Allen as Tarzan and Cupid
- Jim Backus as Mr. Magoo (a cartoon character he voiced) and Thurston Howell III (his character from Gilligan's Island)
- Ted Cassidy as Tarzan
- Charo as Isabella
- Wally Cox as Paul Revere and Davy Crockett
- Bob Crane as Colonel Hogan (his role on Hogan's Heroes)
- Abby Dalton as Little Miss Muffet
- Barbara Eden as Jeannie (her role on I Dream of Jeannie)
- Nanette Fabray as The Old Woman Who Lived in the Shoe
- Stu Gilliam as Merlin
- Arte Johnson as the "'Very Interesting' Soldier" from Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In
- Paul Lynde as Frankenstein's monster and the Evil Queen from Snow White
- Paul Winchell as Romeo and Dr. Jekyll
- Carolyn Jones as Morticia Addams (her role on The Addams Family)
- Rose Marie as Pocahontas and Annie Oakley
- Roy Rogers and Dale Evans
- Soupy Sales as Henry VIII and Thomas Edison
- William Shatner as James T. Kirk (his character from Star Trek)
- Leslie Uggams as Snow White
The 1976-1977 Return
When Storybook Squares came back in 1976-1977, the game changed a bit. Instead of just two kids playing, it became a team game. Boys played with their fathers and grandfathers. Girls played with their mothers and grandmothers.
The children played the first game. Then, the parents played the second game. Grandparents played any games after that, if there was enough time. For each game won, the team received $300. If time ran out during a game, they got $50 for each square they had claimed.
The team with the most money at the end of the show won a big prize! This could be something exciting like a new car or a fun vacation.
Panelists (1976–1977)
Many famous people appeared as characters in this later version:
- Marty Allen as Tarzan
- Milton Berle as Old Mother Hubbard
- Valerie Bertinelli as Little Miss Muffet
- Big Bird (Muppet played by Caroll Spinney)
- Hal Smith as Mother Goose
- Paul Lynde as Attila the Hun, Frankenstein's monster, The Wicked Witch, Davy Crockett, and Paul Bunyan
- William Shatner as Captain Kirk
- Elke Sommer as Guinevere
- Susan Seaforth Hayes as Eve and Cleopatra
- Bill Hayes as Adam and Caesar
- Connie Stevens as The Queen of Hearts
- Karen Valentine as Mona Lisa
- Anson Williams as Simple Simon
- Florence Henderson as Belle Starr
- Doc Severinsen as The Pied Piper and Gabriel
- George Gobel as Henry VIII
- Vincent Price as Captain Hook
- Pat Harrington (Jr.) as Leonardo da Vinci
- Rip Taylor as General Custer
- Joan Rivers as The Old Woman Who Lived in the Shoe
- Bonnie Franklin as Goldilocks and Peter Pan
- John Byner as Long John Silver
- Roddy McDowall as Sherlock Holmes and Pinocchio
- Arte Johnson as Beethoven
- Jo Ann Worley as Martha Washington
- Soupy Sales as Thomas Edison
- Rich Little as Noah
- Julie McWhirter(-Dees) as Glinda the Good Witch (called "the Good Fairy") and Dorothy Gale
- Charo as Lady Godiva
The Show's Set
The 1969 set had a medieval look for the host's and players' areas. The main game board, where the celebrities sat, looked the same as the adult version.
For the 1970s return, the medieval theme was used for the whole set. A big castle front was built around and behind the "Squares" where the celebrities sat. This made the show look even more like a storybook!
Missing Episodes
It's not clear how many episodes of the 1969 show still exist. TV networks sometimes erased old shows to reuse the tapes. One episode was put online in 2016.
The fate of the 1976-77 specials is also uncertain. Game Show Network showed one episode from December 1977 in 2002. Another episode from July 4, 1977, can be found online. A third episode from 1976 also appeared online in 2019.
